And while coach Byron Scott is confident Bryant won’t quit early on the season, he admitted to having been surprised by the players decision. My mind can handle the grind.
Advertisement
With that said, the veteran was steadfast in his decision to walk away from the game, saying that he is at peace with his decision and “If I had the burning desire to continue to play, I would”.
All-Star guard Kobe Bryant spent all off his 20-year career with the Lakers, since a draft-day trade in 1996 that sent Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets in return for a 17-year old kid taken with the 13 overall pick. Bryant had been one of the defining players of the National Basketball Association in the post-Michael Jordan era, and is arguably this generation’s most iconic and popular superstar, drawing millions of fans and winning five championships.
National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver was quick to respond to Bryant’s announcement, the signal that one of the greatest careers in the history of the sport was coming to an end.
He has averaged over 25 points per game in almost 1,300 matches. “Thank you for this incredible journey”.
But Kobe Bryant decided this past summer he would retire following the 2015-16 season for one simple reason.
“It’s insane. The knowledge that he tended to give me every time I got the chance to be around him, especially at a young age, carrying over to the league, it was definitely an honour”, DeRozan said.
Banner on The Players’ Tribune site with photo of Kobe Bryant by Walter Iooss Jr. They said he took inefficient shots and that he was not much of a team player because he continuously carried out individual plays.
Knowing that the Lakers’ remaining games will now serve as his farewell tour, Bryant expressed how much the fans have meant to him over his career.
“What you’ve done for me is far greater than anything I’ve done for you”, Bryant wrote. When he retires from the game, Bryant will be third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list – behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. Bryant’s three-point percentage was also a career-low at 19.5, partially contributing to the Lakers’ potentially doomed season.
“I think he still loves this game”, Scott told reporters.
Advertisement
If the Lakers do not make the playoffs, and Bryant remains healthy, his last game will be on April 13th at Staples Center against the Utah Jazz.
